The chronicles of Hao
by pika318
Summary: This story is based on my perception of Hao's childhood 1000 years ago. From his birth to his mother's death
1. Forbidden

**Author's note: **This is my first shaman king fic and as the summary says. It's is about my envisioned version of Hao's childhood 1000 year's ago. It would look into the things that caused him to be what he is 1000 years later, hating humans and all.

I will devote the first few chapters to his parents. I mean, without parents, you won't have the child. Be patient and I will mention Hao soon.

**Chapter 1: **The forbidden marriage (according to shamans)

"My daughter, have you gone mad! The Asakuras have never associated themselves with any humans. You should understand by now that humans are a threat, especially to a family of shamans such as ourselves. And you are telling me that you wish to marry one!"

"Yes. I'm really sorry that I didn't tell you about our relationship before, but I truly love him and I am sure that he would not be a threat in any way."

"Have you told him about our family, being shamans?"

"… No."

"Then I advise you not to do so. Normal humans always fear things that they do not understand. Do you wish for him to leave you when you finally tell him the truth? Or when he finds out for himself?"

"Please stop it, both of you. Komi, I know you want the best for your daughter. But she is old enough to decide her own future. Can this man support you well, Kyomi?"

"Yes, he can. He has a good position in the palace and serves the throne." Kyomi replied, facing her father now.

"Then go pursue your own happiness. Even though we cannot help you much in the future. If you are in any danger, please approach us. We are your parents after all. Do not let your strong pride get in the way."

"I understand, father. Thank you for taking care of me all this time." Kyomi said before going off to tell her lover the good news.

"Well, Komi. I guess we better get the dowry ready."

"Husband, why do you keep spoiling our daughter so much? If this goes on, she will be in danger! She is our only child and daughter."

"It is because she is our only child that I 'spoil' her. Do you want her to grow up hating you? Or even worse, run away and elope instead? Then we will never know what happens to her."

At his words, Komi fell silent. She quickly went into her room and started praying. For her daughter's happiness and safety.

The marriage came and went. It took place in the house of Kyomi's husband, Seichi. Kyomi's parents attended the wedding, but no one else from the Asakuras did, simply because they did not want anything to do with normal humans.

"Well, I'm glad that was over and done with, Kyomi. I never expected a wedding to be so tiring." Sechi said.

"It doesn't matter, Sechii. What matters now is that we are husband and wife." Kyomi replied. Then she was deep in thought, thinking about when she would tell him the truth.

"Is there something wrong, Kyomi?" Sechi asked, concerned with her sudden silence.

"Nothing. It's nothing. My mother was actually quite opposed to my choice of husband. I'm just surprised she came."

'Maybe, I would only tell him after I have a child. Maybe at that time, he would not leave me when he hears the truth.' she thought.

"Don't worry about that. Didn't you say what matters is that we are married now. Nothing can stop us from loving each other. Now stop worrying and let us go to sleep. We would have a lot of matters to settle tomorrow."

Kyomi nodded and smiled her first real smile in the day. She would worry about the truth when the time comes. In the meantime, she should just enjoy what she had worked hard to have.

"Yes, let's go to sleep then."

Pika318: Ok this is what I have for the first chapter. I know it's short. But if I wrote too long, it's going to become monotonous and naggy. I am also going to run out of juice, resulting in writer's block. This is my first shaman king fic and the second fic I am writing. I welcome all kinds of criticism, but let it be as constructive as possible. Without them, how would a person improve?

In short, please review.


	2. Birth

**Author's note:** I'm back again! I didn't have a disclaimer in the previous chapter. Come to think of it, is it even needed? I mean, everyone else is doing it, but there's no rule, right? To be safe, I might as well add one here.

Ok, I do not own SK, although I like the series and the characters.

**Chapter 2: **The birth

Three years have passed ever since Kyomi and Sechi married under disapproving opinions. Ever since then, Kyomi has been living with Sechi in his mansion, given to him by the Japanese Emperor. She never saw Sechi much, since he was a busy man, but he would always try his best to find for her and is doubling his efforts now. She was currently 7 months pregnant. However, all these years, she was not able to bring herself to tell him her secret of being a shaman. Her fear of him leaving her always got in the way.

"Kyomi, I'm home. Have you been very careful today?" Sechi asked cheerfully.

"Yes, my husband. The servants wouldn't let me do anything by myself. How could I get into an accident that way?" Kyomi appeared in the doorway, cradling her stomach.

"No, you can't. The servants are kind people. They love you and your baby and do not want you to get hurt. Look, your stomach's is very big already. It would be soon when you can do things by yourself and we would have a new addition to the family." Sechi said encouragingly, knowing that Kyomi is an independent woman and does not like to be restricted.

"Talking about the baby, have you thought of a name?" Kyomi asked.

"Kyomi, we don't even know if it's a boy or girl. How can I think of a name?"

"Silly, you'll just have to think of two. One for a boy and one for a girl." Kyomi teased.

"Give me some time, Kyomi. I would need more time than that to think of what to name my child."

"Fine then, but tell me once you do."

* * *

Six weeks passed quickly and one night, Sechi woke up to Kyomi's pleas. 

"Sechi, hurry. The midwife. I think the baby's coming." Kyomi said between gasps.

Sechi never reacted so quickly, not even in front of the emperor. He got out of bed as quickly and carefully as he could and ran to get one of the servants to inform the midwife. After that, he went back to his wife, trying to comfort her.

It seemed like an eternity before the midwife came. She came in quickly and began to take charge, ordering the servants to get hot water and cloth and finally, ordering him out of the room. She did reassure him though, telling him that everything would be fine.

Another eternity and a lot of worrying and pacing later, the doors finally opened and he heard a baby's cry. Without waiting for an invitation, he ran into the room and his eyes met Kyomi's tired but smiling face. He sighed in relief. The midwife passed the baby to him before leaving to get her pay and some tea.

"It's a boy, Sechi. What are you going to call him?" Kyomi's tired voice asked.

Sechi thought for a long while before saying. "Hao, I want to name him that."

"Why?"

"Because I want him to be a good boy and son."

Kyomi smiled before closing her eyes for her hard - earned rest. "Hao it will be then, Sechi."

**Pika318: **Sorry if it's shorter than the previous chapter. But you can't expect the birth of a child to last that long  Ok, now Hao is born. I'll be talking about his childhood next then. Not going to be that happy though. If it is, he's not going to grow up hating humans, right?


	3. Discovery

**Author's note: **I appreciate all the reviews that have been given to this story. I'm not the type to reply to reviews, so don't accuse me of ignoring them. Since, I have got that clarified, on with the story.

**Chapter 3: **The discovery

Kyomi sighed as she watched the garden from the open porch. Her son, Hao is now 4 years old. Ever since birth, he had been displaying symptoms of having shamanic abilities. As she was able to see spirits herself, she often saw him staring at the spirits lurking around the house and wanting to play with them. She chased them away though, since most of them were spirits with bad intentions. But she had no choice now. She had to tell Sechi about her being a shaman, or she would not be able to train her son in peace. And not telling a shaman about his abilities is a sin, especially in the eyes of a prominent family like her own.

"Kaa – san, tell me more about the spirits." A small voice suddenly said.

She abruptly broke out of her own thoughts as Hao came up to her, an interested look on his face. She paused for a while, and after ensuring that there was no one else around, started saying, "Spirits are beings that come out from their original body after it dies."

"No, Kaa – san, I'm not talking about human or animal spirits. I want to know about the spirits in nature. Like leaf spirits, water spirits and things like that."

Kyomi stared as her son said this request. No other experienced shaman she had known had displayed such interest in this field, and she was hearing this from a four year old, which could have known about such spirits.

"Why then, are you so interested in spirits of nature?" Kyomi asked Hao, hoping to get an answer. His response shocked her.

"Well, I was at that tree just now." Hao said, pointing to a tree in the distance,

"then I felt something funny. I heard something and I thought I understood it. Then I realised it came from the tree. And this weird smoke was coming out from it. Like the aura thing you told me about earlier. So I wanted to know if spirits live in nature too." Hao said, before sitting down beside this mother, tired from the long explanation.

Kyomi listened and thought back to what her father had said when he was teaching her about shamans.

_There are many different types of shamans, Kyomi. The most common are shamans who use spirits to communicate with the spirits in the next world, like those in the temple, the mikos. There is also the Itako, which can summon spirits from anywhere, even if they have moved on. There are also shamans who use spirits to fight by allowing them to possess a medium, or themselves. The rarest type of shaman though, are those who can control and communicate with nature. They cannot be trained, only born. There has only been one record of the existence of such a shaman, and no such shaman lives now._

Kyomi gasped as she realised. Her son could communicate with nature, like with the tree. Can it mean that Hao was one of those rare shamans? She had to confirm.

"Hao, can you tell me what this flower is thinking now?" She asked pointing at a lone flower in the middle of the garden. She knew the question sounded stupid, but she had to be sure.

"That flower? I'm not really sure, but I feel a wave of sadness and loneliness from it. It doesn't want to be by herself." Hao said uncertainly.

"It's a female?"

"Uh – huh."

Kyomi almost fainted but caught herself in time. Her son, a nature shaman! Now that made things worse. Being such a rare type of shaman, she didn't know how to train him. She could teach him the basics, but what next? She had to see the family soon.

"Kyomi dear, where are you?" Sechi's voice drifted from the hall. He had come home.

"I'm on the porch with Hao." Kyomi answered.

A short time later, Sechi appeared. He looked tired, understandable after a day of work, but he was smiling, happy to be with his family again.

"Kyomi, a good wife should be at the doorway, waiting for her husband to come home." Sechi chided her good - naturedly.

"Right now, Sechi. I'm being a good mother and keeping my son company. I'll be a good wife at dinner. Is that fine with you?" She retorted back, smiling with him.

"Otou – san, welcome back." Hao said and hugged his father's legs.

Sechi smiled again, wider this time and picked Hao up. "Have you been a good boy?"

Hao nodded.

Sechi put Hao down and said. "Stay with your mother. After I'm done cleaning up, we'll eat dinner."

" 'kay." Hao said.

* * *

At night, Kyomi put Hao in bed and went back into the room she shared with Sechi. Seeing that her son needed proper training soon, she would have to go back to the family. But she would not be able to explain to Sechi about her absence from this house unless she told him the truth. 

She entered the room, Sechi was changing into this nightclothes. She sat in front of the mirror and started combing her hair. After she was done and saw that Sechi was done as well, she silently prayed that Sechi would react positively. Then she said. "Sechi, I have something to tell you."

**Pika318: **Well, I'm done with this chapter. It's a little longer than before. Next chapter, we will see how Sechi will react to the truth. I have not really decided yet, hopefully I would by tomorrow. See ya, and try reviewing. It will be good discerning material if this idea is good. Because my sister heard my idea of writing about Hao's life 1000 years ago and you know what she said?She said, "No one would want to read about Hao's life 1000 years ago. It's too far off from the manga and anime." Do you agree with her?


	4. Shattered

**Chapter 4: **Shattered

"Sechi, I have something to tell you." Kyomi said after a long pause.

"And what might that be?"

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier, but I was afraid of the consequences. Sechi, about my family, we're actually shamans. People who bind this world and the next." Kyomi answered and paused for Sechi to absorb the news.

"…"

"Sechi?"

"How about Hao?"

"…He is a shaman too, from what I observed, and a very rare type too. He…"

"That's enough." Kyomi's sentence was suddenly cut off by Sechi. He quietly turned around and started towards the door. Much to Kyomi's shock and fear, Sechi pushed open the door and said in a dangerously low voice.

"Get out, now."

"But…I…"

"I don't care what you have to say. Just take your things and get out of this house and back to your cursed family."

"My family is not cursed, and how about our son, shouldn't you think about him? He is your flesh and blood after all!" Kyomi asked, desperate now. She never expected that her loving husband could change his feelings towards her because of her background.

"He is not my flesh and blood. He's a Devil's Spawn, just like you! And if you are so insistent on that, then I will severe all ties with you and your family. You are no longer my wife and Hao is no longer my son. Now leave!"

Kyomi opened her mouth to protest, but seeing that Sechi really meant it, she had better go back to her family until he comes to his senses.

"Fine, I'll leave." Kyomi said, trying to put a cold edge to her voice before quickly taking her things and went to Hao's room. When she opened the door, her son was still awake.

"Kaa – san, did you and Otou – san fight?" he asked, in a frightened voice. From all he remembered, they never fought before.

Kyomi paused before answering. "No, we didn't. But I'm going to bring you to my parent's house. For your training. Didn't you want to know about spirits?"

"I did. But are we going to leave Otou – san here?"

"Yes, you know your father is busy. He can't accompany us all the time."

" 'kay. Are we leaving now?"

"Yes, go get your things."

* * *

"Komi, why are you frowning? You have been doing that all day now." Senki asked. 

"Nothing, I just have a bad feeling."

"About what?"

"It's nothing."

Komi then went on to do her daily chores, then she heard a knock on the door. Putting her things down, she went to get the door, knowing that the servants are too far away to hear it. She nearly fainted.

"Kyomi, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I can explain, but can we come in first? We're tired after the long journey."

Komi quickly let them in and noticed a child holding Kyomi's hand. This must be Hao then. She never saw him before, only heard about him in Kyomi's letters. Her grandchild.

She turned to call Senki, but he was already in the doorway of the room nearest to her, with a concerned look on his face.

"Kyomi, what happened?"

"I will explain later, but can you arrange a room for Hao? He is tired already."

Komi went into action, calling on a passing servant to take care of the rooms.

* * *

It took quite some time, seeing that Kyomi had arrived unexpectedly. But an hour later, Kyomi had Hao in bed and was in the living room telling her parents about Sechi and Hao. 

"So, Sechi chased you out of the house after finding out the truth about us, severing all ties with the family, not even caring about his son." Komi said.

"Yes."

"And you suspect that your son, our grandchild, is actually one of the shamans who can control nature." Senki added.

"Yes, that too."

"Well, I have nothing to say about this, except welcome back, and that we would have to train Hao soon. Oh yes, I'm going to kill Sechi if I see him again." Senki said, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

"Actually, Otou – san. I was thinking of finding my own house."

"Why?"

"I wish to be more independent." 'Also, I don't want to get you into trouble if something happens because of me.' she thought.

"That's fine with us. Actually, we do have a relative who is going to move back here because her husband had passed away and she does not want to live by herself. You can stay there. It's not too far from here anyway, so you can still visit us often and bring Hao here to train." Komi suggested.

"Thank you then."

"There's no need to thank us, Kyomi. We are family after all. Meanwhile, you should rest after your journey. We can settle everything tomorrow."

**Pika318: **That's all for now. Actually, I don't want to break the family up. But I have to or the story won't go on. I was so sad  Anyway, if you have any comments, feel free to tell me, because I really think this chapter sucks. It's too stiff.


	5. School

**Pika318: **It's Halloween today but more importantly, it's also the mother tongue 'O' levels. I did well in June so I don't have to take the paper today. I appreciate all the reviews I received and did you guys read my other story, about the alternate ending of Shaman King? It's really good, so check it out!

**Chapter 5: **School

A week had passed ever since Kyomi came back to the Asakura main house. She had already moved into the unwanted house of her relative's and had settled down there with Hao. Hao had also started attending the lessons conducted in the main house, since it was also the premises for a shaman school. He was only four, which made him the youngest student in the school. And this will inevitably, attract a lot of attention.

"Hey, did you hear about the newest student?"

"Yeah, he's only four, so why did he come here?"

"Because he's an Asakura, baka."

"Never heard of him, though. Hey, Ashiru, do you know anything about him. You're good at collecting information."

"All I heard about him is that he is one of those nature shamans. The ones that sensei told us about. Communicating with nature and all. Oh yeah, I saw him come in this morning with his mother. I heard that they were chased out."

"Where did you know all that?"

"I heard the adults talking about it, okay. Now just shut up. Here comes the twerp."

Hao, who was standing some distance away from the other kids, had come out for some fresh air. He had just finished his private lessons with his oji – san. They were to help him catch up with the others and were simplified in language so that he could understand since he was so young. He looked over to the older children. For some reason, all of them except one looked away. They had spirits floating around them. Some were humans and others were animals. The spirits probably belonged to them. He wanted to know other children, since he didn't have any friends before and went up to them, feeling curious and frightened at the same time for two reasons. One, he had never talked to other children before. Two, they were older, so they looked very big and threatening in his perception.

"Excuse me," he began shyly, not knowing how to approach them.

"What do you want?" one of them asked. The edge of his tone was so cutting, Hao winced in fright.

"Ashiru, don't be so hard on the kid. You scared him." A girl walked up to him, punching the one known as Ashiru. She was the only person who did not look away just now.

"My name's Mokoto. What's yours." She had a friendly voice, so Hao decided to reply.

"Hao." He replied.

"Humph, it's a childish name. Suitable for a twerp like him." Ashiru commented snidely, still a bit pissed off by the punch.

"Shut up, Ashiru," Mokoto said before turning back to Hao. "Don't mind him, Hao. He's always like that to newcomers." Hao nodded, still a bit frightened by the others. He liked Mokoto, though. She was nice.

"So…is it true that you can communicate with nature? That ability is really rare, so you should treasure it." Mokoto asked. She was beginning to like the small boy, but she wished that he wasn't so withdrawn.

Hao nodded again. Then he said shyly. "About your spirit, can you tell me about it? I don't have one, so…"

"Oh, you're talking about my dog here? His name is Hiro. Here, you can pat him." Mokoto said.

Hao timidly stretched out a hand and stroked the dog's head. The dog was about as tall as him, after all.

"He's my guardian spirit. I oversoul him into this," Mokoto pointed to a boomerang strapped to her back "and use him to fight."

Hao's eyes widened in amazement. Spirits can be used to fight? He never heard of that. He never saw his mother using spirits though, so that was probably why he didn't know.

Hao was interested now.Just as he was about to ask another question, the bell rang.

"Ah, break time is over." Mokoto said. She never liked being in lessons. She turned to Hao. "Well, I'll see you after school." She said before running for her next lesson.

Ashiru and the others left as well without a second glance. They couldn't care less about a brat.

* * *

The day passed and soon it was after school. Hao was dismissed earlier than the rest of the children because he didn't have to learn as much for the moment. After looking around and seeing that his mother had not come yet, he decided to sit under a tree to wait for her. Then he heard a voice. 

Hey, never seen you around before, are you new?

Hao looked around in confusion but could not identify the source of the voice.

Silly, look up. 

Hao did, and all he saw was the tree and a bird.

"Are you the bird or the tree?" he asked, since he knew he could communicate with both.

I'm the bird, the tree's too old to feel like talking to anyone.

"Oh."

So are you new?

Hao nodded, and the bird flew to his shoulder. It chirped happily.

It's been a long time since I met someone I could talk too. The other birds ignore me for some reason. Now I'm talking to a human, sheesh.

"Is it bad talking to me?" Hao asked, noting the frustrated tone in the bird's voice.

No, it's not that. You're name's Hao, right? I heard about you from the adults teaching here.

"Uh – huh."

"Motoko, I told you he was weird. Look he's even talking to a bird now." Ashiru's voice drifted to his ears. The bird gave an irritated chirp before flying back to the tree.

It's that loudmouthed boy. Never liked him.

"Ashiru, that's not being weird. That's using his ability." Mokoto retorted, wanting to defend the young and shy boy.

"His ability is weird in the first place."

"That's not weird, that's rare."

Mokoto stopped once they were nearing Hao, but Ashiru did not give up.

"Hey twerp, I saw you talking to a bird. Do you know that's not normal?" he asked in a sneering tone.

Hao shook his head. No one ever told him it was abnormal. His mother never said anything when he did that before.

"See, not only is he weird, he's stupid too."

"Ashiru, shut up. He's only a child." Mokoto said, jumping to Hao's defence.

"He's only a child." Ashiru imitated Mokoto's tone. "I didn't know you liked younger boys. Do you want to date him next?"

Hao didn't know what was going on, but he did not like to see Mokoto flustered, which was what she probably felt now.

"Can you stop it, she doesn't like it?" Hao asked, not knowing what to say.

"Oh, now the twerp wants to defend her? Such a befitting couple." Ashiru said.

Before Hao knew what was happening. He was picked up by the front of his shirt and slammed against the tree. The bird flew off in shock and Mokoto went into action, pulling Ashiru away and punching him in the face.

"What did you do that for?" Mokoto asked angrily.

Ashiru just smirked and rubbed the bruise that was beginning to form on his face. Then he went up to Hao, who was still a little disoriented.

"I'm going to tell you this, twerp. Don't ever cross my path again, or I'm going to do the same thing." He said threateningly before walking off.

Hao stood up shakily just as his mother came down the path.

"Hao, there you are. I've been looking for you." Then she noticed him wince from the pain in his back. "Hao, are you alright?" When she received no answer, she turned to Mokoto. "What happened?"

"He got slammed into the tree by one of the older boys."

Kyomi's eyes narrowed. "I'll tell the teachers about it. Hao, are you alright? Let's go home so I can help you hurt less."

"I'll tell the teachers." Mokoto offered.

Kyomi picked Hao up and turned to Mokoto. "I thank you for the trouble then. For telling the teachers and taking care of my son. My name is Kyomi, feel free to find me when you need help."

"Mine's Mokoto." Mokoto replied as Kyomi turned to walk down the path.

* * *

**Pika318: **This is what I have for now. For those who asked (Redleef), I'm going to concentrate on his first life, since I'm not interested in his second and they already shown his third in the manga and anime. But I might include a few miscellaneous chapters if any inspiration comes to me. 


	6. Rumours

**Pika318: **I'm back! I'm really sorry for the long absence. My exams are finally over, so I'm updating now, although not as frequently as before.

**Chapter 6: Rumours**

It has been a week since the bullying started. Ashiru was scolded severely by the teachers after Mokoto told on him. He had stopped for a while after that but he'd started to treat Mokoto coldly and would not let her hang out with the group like before. She didn't mind though. To her, Hao was a nice boy to be with and Ashiru was never treated her nicely before anyway.

However, by the end of the week, Ashiru got more fed up about the scolding he had got as well as the punishment given to him. Why would the adults care so much about a four year old brat? Is it because the brat was part of the family? To him, it wasn't fair. He decided to think of some way to get back at those teachers as well as Hao.

For a few days, he stayed back after school ended and went quietly around the Asakura compound, hoping to find something that would help with his 'revenge'. It wasn't long before he found something, or more accurately, heard.

"Senki, what should we do about Kyomi? She doesn't seem the same ever since she arrived back here with Hao." Komi asked, she had been worried about her daughter for a long time.

"We can't do anything about it, Komi. The most we can do is to offer her parental support until she recovers from her grief. It was not her fault that her husband chose to abandon her after he found out she is a shaman, even though she had her son, Hao at that time…"

Ashiru refrained from giving a whoop of joy at the information he had got. As he quietly left the compound he started thinking. It would seem that the brat had a father, but he didn't really have one now since the father didn't want him or his mother. So even if he spread that rumour and the adults found out about it, they would not be able to get any evidence to prove him wrong anyway. That would trouble the adults a lot since reputation always seems so important to them. He smirked. His 'revenge' will be dealt at last.

The next day, he gathered his trusted friends around him and started to spread his planned rumour.

* * *

"I heard something from the adults when I was snooping around yesterday. The brat's mother, you know who I'm talking about, is actually a whore. She went around doing that with every man she could find and get and she finally had that brat." 

"Wouldn't that make him an illegitimate child?" one of his friends asked.

"A bastard, more like." Ashiru replied.

And the rumour started that way. His friends, who he knew were gossips by nature, quickly got the rumour spread around, until every child knew about it. They started to give Hao strange looks and the more daring ones called him names like 'bastard' and a few rare ones started to pick on him. The adults never knew about it because the children knew how to keep secrets from adults. Ashiru was also careful not to let Mokoto know. He knew that she would tell the teachers and that would spoil the fun, would it?

Hao, being young and innocent, as any four year old would be, did not understand why the rest of the children were treating him that way. He had already gotten a few bruises and called names, all in one day. Confused, he went to ask Mokoto why, she was his trusted big sister after all, and that was how Mokoto knew about the nonsense.

"Mokoto nee – san, I don't understand something…" Hao approached Mokoto four days after the rumours started.

"What is it, Hao - kun? I'll be happy to help you." She thought he was having trouble with his lessons.

"The other children… they're acting weird."

"In what way?" Mokoto started to get suspicious.

"They're calling me things I don't think I am… I don't understand what they mean… They're giving me strange looks… And… they're hitting me again…" Hao said haltingly, trying his best to reorganise everything that happened the last few days.

"What!" Mokoto exclaimed, enraged by the 'hitting' part. It took her a while to calm down. "What did they call you?" she asked in a calmer voice. She thought that being angry would just scare the timid child.

"Um… I think it was bastared… or something like that." Hao said, getting even more confused by Mokoto's reaction.

"Huh?" Mokoto said, confused as well. Then she started processing everything that Hao had said so far. If they called him a bastard, then the children thought he was illegitimate. But what would make the rest think that way? It didn't take her long to figure it out. No one else in this school compound would spread a rumour so quickly except the one person she knew very well…

* * *

"Ashiru! What is the meaning of this!" she had stopped him outside the school when he was walking home with his usual group of friends. Hao had gone home earlier with his mother. 

"What is the meaning of what, Mokoto?" Ashiru asked, failing to hide the smirk forming on his face.

"You know very well what I mean, Ashiru. Why are you spreading rumours about Hao – kun?"

"Oh you mean that rumour? It's just my way of getting back at that brat, as well as the teachers. After this, they would learn not to mess with me. You're included of course, Mokoto – chan." He added deliberately, knowing that she didn't like being called that.

Mokoto was about to lose her temper, but she controlled herself and said, "I'm going to tell the teachers. You're going to regret it."

"So what if you tell the teachers, they won't be able to stop it anyway. They got no proof."

"What do you mean by that?" Mokoto asked before she could stop herself.

"That 'Hao – kun' of yours got no father to start with. I mean, he had one, but he was abandoned. Why do you think he only lives with his mother?" Ashiru replied, with a smirk on his face.

Mokoto's eyes widened and her thoughts started to run wild. Hao – kun had no father. The adults have no proof. What if Ashiru was lying? But it all made sense, since only Hao's mother came to take him home… The rumours… the bullying…Kyomi had to know, wait…she had to tell the adults…

Mokoto turned around and went away quickly, not wanting to faint from the sudden rush of thoughts.

* * *

She arrived early the next day, wanting to talk with Kyomi. She had to confirm some things before she got more messed up from her thoughts, even if she might seem like a busybody. 

"Aunt Kyomi, can I ask you something?" Mokoto asked Kyomi after Hao went into the house to meet his grandparents.

"What is it?" Kyomi asked.

"Um…I heard from one of the children that you're husband abandoned you… Of course, if it's a lie, you don't have to take it seriously…I just heard and I… err…" she couldn't continue.

Kyomi was shocked by Mokoto's sudden question. How had the child known about that? But she decided to answer her anyway.

"Mokoto, calm down. I'm not going to get angry at you. It's true that my husband abandoned Hao and me, but that is all in the past. I have already moved on, or at least I'm trying my best. Why do you ask?"

"There are some rumours spreading around and they said that Hao was illegitimate and you are a… whore?" Mokoto said uncertainly, her voice trailing off at the end.

Kyomi frowned this time. "Who started it?"

"A boy I know. The same one who bullied Hao last time… I wanted to tell the adults but he said that they would have no proof since you have no husband and everything."

"Either way, we would have to put a stop to it." Kyomi said. "Hao may not have told me, but I noticed the bruises that he got lately and I was wondering where he got them from. He wouldn't tell me when I asked though. He prefers talking to animals and plants and rocks now…" Kyomi gave a sigh at that. "Thank you for telling me, Mokoto. I'll tell the rest of the adults, it would seem that they are as clueless as me about what is happening the past few days. Meanwhile, can you watch over Hao? I don't want to get hurt anymore then he already is."

Mokoto nodded. She hoped the whole nonsense would stop soon. It was spoiling Hao – kun's innocence.

* * *

**Pika318: **I shall stop here for the time being. My brain doesn't seem to be functioning anymore. :P Review if this chapter pleases you and to the readers who have not read my other shaman king story, pls read it if you can. My sister wants some more feedback… 


	7. Leaving

**Pika318: **I'm back with chapter 7! Finally was able to gain control of the computer. Hope you guys and girls enjoy reading my story.

**Chapter 7: **Leaving

"Kyomi, what are you here for? Don't you have to bring Hao home? Mokoto, you too? "

"He's waiting outside, Otou – san. I wish to talk to you about the students." Kyomi replied.

"What about?" Senki asked.

"Don't tell me you have not noticed? The other children are bullying your grandson."

Senki paused for a while before asking, "Why? Hao is a nice boy."

"Hao – kun is a nice boy, sensei. It's the other children who are mean. Do you know Ashiru? The talkative one? He spread rumours and now everybody thinks that Hao - kun doesn't have a proper family." Mokoto said angrily.

"I don't understand, Mokoto."

"What she means, Otou – san, is that the boy she mentioned told everyone who would listen that I am a prostitute and Hao does not have a proper father." Kyomi elaborated firmly.

Senki's face went red. Mokoto couldn't tell whether it was from anger or embarrassment. "He said that! But he's only twelve, isn't he? And what does he have against my grandson?"

"He did say that, sensei. And Ashiru, in my opinion, is no ordinary twelve year old. I also have a theory. Do you remember the time you punished him for bullying Hao – kun. I think he might have bore a grudge and wanted revenge." Mokoto answered in quick succession.

"Fine, I understand everything now. But if what you said is true. Then the other teachers and I would not be able to do anything much about it." Senki said.

"WHY?" Mokoto shouted angrily. "Can't you see how bad it is?"

"I do, Mokoto. But you must understand that we do not have any proof to show the children that what Ashiru said was wrong. Hao's father had abandoned him and Kyomi. There's no way we can produce proof that way."

"Why should we care about the proof, sensei? Why don't you just expel him or something? Isn't causing trouble bad enough?" Mokoto asked, almost desperate.

"That's not possible, Mokoto. If we were to expel him, his parents would demand the reason. We can't just tell them it's because their son did something as childish as spreading rumours. Even then, spreading rumours does not even warrant expulsion. The only thing we can do now is to wait for the rumours to die down. The children would tire of it soon."

"Then how about Hao? We can't let him suffer the bullying until the rumours die down, can we? We don't even know how long it would take?" Kyomi asked worrriedly.

"We will watch out for him until then, Kyomi. I'm sure that nothing too serious will happen. Children are not that vicious."

Mokoto almost wanted to laugh at the last sentence, but it would be rude of her to do so.

* * *

It was easier said than done. Under Senki's request, the other teachers started to watch out for the four year old. However, not matter how vigilant the teachers were, the children were always able to get to Hao. They always waited until the teachers were not in the vicinity before taking action, which was not that difficult, considering the size of the Asakura compound. This means that Hao still got bullied almost everyday. The worst thing was some of the children didn't bully him because of the rumour now. They had already forgotten about it. They were doing it for fun. 

"Hey, there's the twerp."

"Are there any teachers around?"

"Nope, what shall we do to him now?"

"There's a pond nearby. Should we…?"

* * *

"Hao, your hair's all wet. What happened?" Kyomi asked her son, even though she already had a rough idea. 

"I got pushed into the lake. And I cut my hand on one of the rocks. But Mokoto nee – san helped me and Oji – san made my hand better already."

"That's good. Now let's get you home. You're going to catch a cold like this." Kyomi said before picking Hao up and carrying him home. He could walk on his own, she knew that. She just felt he needed the warmth and security.

"Kaa – san, what have I done wrong?"

"You did nothing wrong, Hao."

"Then why do the others keep doing this?"

"I don't know either."

"Kaa – san, if this continues, I don't want to come here anymore."

Kyomi almost froze but kept on walking, trying to keep calm so she would not affect her child. "Why do you say that. Don't you want to see your Oji – san and Oba – san, as well as Mokoto?"

"I want to see them, Kaa –san. I like them a lot. But I don't want to keep getting hurt. Doesn't it make Kaa – san sad. You look sad every time you take care of me."

Kyomi was shocked. She never knew that her feelings showed on her face, especially when she tried her best to hide them. Now what was she supposed to say?

In the end, she said nothing and silently carried Hao home.

* * *

That night, afterKyomi put Hao to bed, she started thinking. It would not be good for Hao's development if the bullying continues. He might be emotionally scarred for all she knew. Was it really necessary for her to bring Hao to her family's shaman school? She would be able to teach Hao what he needed to learn. All she had to do was to juggle between her job at the local temple and educating her son. It shouldn't be so bad. 

It was late when she finally decided what she should do. She should just stop Hao's schooling at the main compound and teach him herself. Her father always said she was talented.

* * *

"Are you sure this is what you have decided?" Senki asked after Kyomi told him about her decision. 

"I am very sure, Otou – san. Wouldn't you agree that things are looking bad now ever since your grandson came to you with an injury?"

"I do agree. But it's going to be hard on you, juggling duties like this."

"No matter how hard it is, I'm willing to sacrifice anything for my son."

"I always knew you were stubborn. So I will not object to your decision. But please remember to approach us if you need any help. You should go to the temple now. I'll just tell Komi that she would have to go to your house if she wants to see her precious grandson." Senki said.

"I'll remember to ask, Otou – san. And tell Okaa – san that I'm sorry for causing so much trouble for her."

"You don't have to feel sorry, Kyomi. We are your parents after all."

* * *

**Pika318: **This is the end of chapter 7. Thanks to all of the people who decided that they like this fanfiction and I appreciate the continuous support. Review if you feel that you like this. 


	8. Surprise

**Pika318: **Presenting to faithful readers chapter 8! Thanks for being patient with my slow updates. I just got into college and my life suddenly got way busier. Enjoy!

**Chapter 8: **Surprise

Six months have passed after Kyomi withdrew Hao from school and began home teaching him. Hao had already turned five. To her surprise, Hao was a fast learner and was able to absorb his lessons very quickly. It saved her a lot a trouble and time, so she was able to cope with her new duty well. He followed her to the temple sometimes and was soon able to imitate what the other temple mikos were doing. The mikos there started to like him and it wasn't long before he went there with Kyomi everyday.

To Kyomi's relief, Hao started to open up to other people and stopped talking only to various plants and animals. He still avoided older children, as he was still unable to recover from the effects of the bullying. This did not pose a big problem as not many children come to the local temple. Mokoto visited their house sometimes and Hao was always eager to meet her. Mokoto also taught Hao some things that she learnt at school and this delighted Hao a lot, being the enthusiastic learner he is, even though he was still young. This made Kyomi very proud of him.

This routine continued for a few months and Hao was nearly done with the basic lessons needed to become a proper shaman. One day, however, Kyomi stopped teaching Hao his lessons.

"Okaa – san, why are you not teaching me anymore?"

"I'm really sorry, Hao. But the ghost festival is coming up and many malevolent spirits are wandering around and possessing people. I have a lot of requests from the people asking me to protect their family members from harm and on very rare cases, I need to exorcise people, which is tiring work. Do you understand?" From experience, Kyomi knew that she had to explain thoroughly in order to get Hao to understand.

Hao nodded and smiled to show that he had forgiven her.

"Also, I have to help at the temple today. There is a lot of work to be done and I will be gone for the whole day. I cannot leave you here by yourself, so is it fine with you if you stay with your grandparents for a while?"

Hao nodded again, even though he did not really want to. Memories of the bullying at the school still haunted him and he was not yet ready to go back. But he knew that refusing would just put his okaa – san in a fix. So he might as well listen to her.

* * *

Half and hour later, Kyomi dropped Hao off at the main house and made her way to the temple. At first, Hao was still afraid and followed his grandmother everywhere. Komi did not mind at first because she was not teaching any students. She was puzzled by his behaviour though. 

"Grandson, why are you following me around?"

"I do not want to be by myself, Obaa – san. Or else the older children will do it again."

When Komi heard the answer, she finally realised that he was afraid of getting bullied again. After that, she never bothered him and let Hao do what he wanted. There was no point in forcing a child to do what he did not want to do.

* * *

Break time in the school came and Mokoto, who had heard that Hao was in the school, wasted no time in finding him. After some searching, she found Hao with Senki, revising with him whatever he had learnt from Kyomi. Judging from the smile on Senki's face, Mokoto deduced that Hao had learnt many useful lessons from Kyomi. She stood by the door and waited for her sensei to be done. 

"Very good. I see that your mother has taught you well. You can go now. It seems that someone is waiting for you." Senki said.

Hao looked around at Senki's comment and saw Mokoto at the door. After thanking his grandfather, he quickly went up to her, happy to see her as she had not visited for quite some time.

"Mokoto nee – chan, it's nice to see you. You have not visited me for a long time." Hao said.

"Hao – kun, it's only been a week. It's not that long." Mokoto answered as both of them strolled around the compound.

"Well, it's a long time to me…Can't you visit more often? " Hao asked.

"I can't do that. The tests are coming up and I have to practise…." Mokoto paused in mid sentence and looked at Hao. The five year old had started pouting. There was silence for a few seconds.

Then Mokoto decided that she couldn't take it anymore. Hao's behaviour was just too cute for her to resist anymore.

"I give up! I'll try to visit you more often. Is that fine with you?" Mokoto shouted in surrender.

"Yes. Can you teach me more things the next time you come?" Hao asked, a smile on his face.

"Sure, if I learn anything new. You learn things far more quickly then anyone else your age…"

Hao and Mokoto passed a few older children at this point of time. They were part of Ashiru's gang. Hao instinctively hid behind Mokoto. However, to Hao's puzzlement, not only did the older children not say anything to him, they actually looked a little depressed.

"What's wrong with them, Mokoto nee – chan? They're quieter from the last time I saw them." Hao asked once they were some distance away from the group.

"Oh, you mean that group? I guess I forgot to tell you, but Ashiru left the school. His parents just came one day, a week ago, and told sensei that they are sending Ashiru to a school in another district because his father had a job somewhere else. You do know how important Ashiru's father is right?"

Hao nodded. He heard about Ashiru's father a few times from the mikos. The mikos meet many people everyday and were very good sources of information.

"Anyway, ever since Ashiru had gone, his gang here got all depressed and lost because they always listened to him. They probably forgot about you already, so you can relax now."

* * *

The day passed quickly and it wasn't long before Kyomi came to pick Hao up. They went home together as Hao told her about Senki's approval and Ashiru's departure from the school. Kyomi listened and felt relief at the fact that she was teaching Hao the right way and that Hao did not have to be afraid of the older children anymore. 

A few birds greeted Hao as they passed and soon, her son was engaged in a one – sided conversation with them. She knew from what Hao told her before that birds were very talkative animals.

As they neared their house, however, the birds suddenly flew away, as if they were scared of something. She was confused but after they went through the door, she found the answer.

"Sechii?"

* * *

**Pika318: **I'm done. I kind of left you with a cliffie, which may be pure torture for some people, but I can't reveal everything too quickly, right?  Anyway, review if you like this chapter/ story. 


	9. Death

**Pika318: **Here's chapter 9. I was really reluctant about typing this chapter because I'm not that enthusiastic about character death. Anyway, I got my 'O' level results and I have a holiday to register for college. So I'm taking this chance to update.

**Chapter 9: **Death

"Sechii?"

Kyomi couldn't believe her eyes. Sechii was standing in her front yard. He wasn't the only person though. They were about ten other people with him. All of them were guards, seeing that they were all carrying swords. Sechii had a very serious look on his face. Her intuition told her that it would be a bad move if she moved any closer to him. She stayed where she was, at the door. Hao seemed to sense her apprehension and stayed behind her. She heard her son mutter "Otou – san…".

There was silence for a few long minutes before Kyomi managed to ask cautiously. "Sechii, what are you doing here?"

Sechii, to her surprise, answered coldly. "I'm here strictly on business only." She had thought he would still have some feelings for her. They had been married for years after all.

Before she could say anything, Sechii continued on, just as coldly. "We have received a report from one of the civilians that you have caused the death of her son, Genji. The mother has accused you of murder."

Kyomi couldn't help but stare in shock. 'Murder?'

"I see that you do not seem to remember what you have done, Kyomi." Sechii said, saying her name for the first time. "Should I tell you the details?" he asked before continuing.

"Apparently, the victim's mother came to you yesterday to ask you to attend to her son, who has been acting strangely for the past few days. You agreed to see to her son. After doing so, you told the mother that her son was possessed by a malevolent spirit." At this point, Sechii gave a sneer, as if he didn't believe Kyomi's judgement.

"You then requested that the victim's mother leave the room so you could perform the exorcism in peace. The mother had done so, but she was worried about her son, so she observed you secretly. Guess what she saw next? "

"She saw you sticking your hand into her son's body and pulling out white smoke, which she thinks was her son's soul. Because the next thing she knew, her son wasn't breathing anymore. She backed away from the door in shock, just as you came out of the room and told her that her son did not survive the exorcism. But that wasn't true, was it? You tricked the mother that her son was possessed in order to get to him and pull his soul out instead of your so - called malevolent spirit. There wasn't any."

Kyomi was shocked by Sechii's accusation. What she had pulled out of the Genji's body was the malevolent spirit, but the mother had waited too long to ask for help. Genji's soul, long exhausted from fighting with the other spirit, could no longer support the body and simply left as well. She did not cause the death of anyone.

"Sechii… I didn't kill anyone! The boy's soul was tired out after the possession, so it left the body." Kyomi tried to explain,

"Assuming that it's true, Kyomi, even though it's not. Then how would you explain the process of your exorcism? From what I learnt, sticking one's hand into someone else's body always seem to be fatal."

"That is the correct way of doing so… How would you know the right way if you don't know the way of the shamans?" Kyomi said, desperate for Sechii to understand her, believe her.

"I see, Kyomi. You are trying to use my lack of understanding of shamans to deny your sin. Either way, Kyomi, all the evidence is against you. I already have orders from the local magistrate to get rid of you. As well as all the other mikos in that temple you work in, since they pose the same threat. So whatever you say now isn't going to change anything."

Kyomi backed up this time. She can't die now. Not when Hao is still young. Not when her parents are growing old and need her support. What can she do?

Just then, she felt a tug on her kimono. She looked down, into the face of her son, Hao. She could tell he was frightened. By the guards, by the swords and lastly by the behaviour of the person he still sees as his father.

"So, Kyomi. Any last words?" Sechii asked as he raised his sword.

"Don't you feel gulity, Sechii. Killing a defenseless woman who is your wife and the mother of your son?" Kyomi asked, this time with a determined expression on her face. If the Great Spirit decided that she had to die here, she would face it bravely.

"Actually, I do. But only a little. " Sechii answered. "After all, you are a shaman, a freak of nature, a devil's spawn. I'm sure god would not blame me for killing a misfit on this earth."

Kyomi had almost gave up all hope at this point. It is obvious now that Sechii did not love her anymore. Or Hao.

"If you wish to get rid of me, Sechii. You can do so. But spare Hao. He is too young to leave this world."

Hao looked up at this point. He did not want his mother to die. Not now. And not at the hands of his father.

"Otou – san. Okaa - san did not do anything bad. Please don't take her away from me." Hao pleaded, not knowing what to do at that point of time.

Sechii looked into the pleading eyes of Hao. "I see that you have raised a very brave child, Kyomi. Other children would have cried by now. I can agree to your request, Kyomi. I never felt good about killing children. But don't blame me if he ends up being traumatised about your death. At that point, death would have been a better option for him."

Sechii raised his sword. Kyomi looked at Sechii with the same determined stare. Hao tried to run forward, he wanted to do something, anything to help his mother. But the guards, who have remained motionless throughout the whole conversation, suddenly moved quickly and held him back, despite all his cries and struggles, and the scene that unfolded in front of them.

It all happened very quickly. Sechii gripped his sword tightly and swiftly stabbed Kyomi in the stomach with it. Kyomi fell to the ground and her eyes closed. Sechii pulled the sword out before saying emotionlessly.

"Let's go. Leave the boy here."

One of the guards paused before saying. "But captain, the magistrate told us to burn the body as well. To serve as a warning to other shamans…"

"I said let's go!" Sechii snapped before walking out of the door. The other guards followed. The guard who had been restraining Hao pushed him to the ground before following as well.

After everyone else left, Hao quickly went to his mother and hugged her, oblivious to all the blood he was getting on him.

"Okaa –san, wake up… please." Hao said, shaking her a little. When she didn't, he started crying. He did not want to be left alone.

* * *

It was only next morning when someone came. Mokoto had come to Hao's home to see how he was doing, when she saw the scene. Hao had already let go of his mother and had stopped crying, but he was still sitting beside her, holding her hand.

Mokoto resisted the urge to scream and ran to the Asakura main house, where she quickly got Kyomi's parents and other adults to help.

What happened next was chaotic. Komi fainted once she saw that her daughter had died. Senki went up to his daughter in shock and knelt beside her, not knowing what to say or do. Mokoto was calm enough to know she had to get Hao away.

"Hao - kun, we have to go." Mokoto said, not knowing exactly what to do to a child who had just lost a parent.

To her relief, Hao just got up and allowed her to steer him away from the adults. It disturbed her that Hao was covered in blood, but they would have to deal with that later.

It was only an hour later that Komi recovered, and Senki was calm enough to be able to ask the other adults to carry Kyomi's body back to the main house for the funeral. Komi started wailing in grief when they carried the body past her. Both grandparents seem to have forgotten about their grandson. So Mokoto was entrusted the task to look after him.

The Asakuras closed the school for two weeks after the incident happened.

**Pika318: **This is chapter 9 for you. I felt very sad when I was typing this. I don't really like doing this, but it's got to happen. I know some parts sound really crappy. But I'm not very good at writing about deaths.

Anyway, please review.


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